Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Former Nepali Army Major General Baburam Shrestha has entered active politics.
Shrestha, who retired after a 37-year military career in mid-October, formally joined the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party (PLP) in Kathmandu on Sunday.
PLP Patron Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Chairperson Santosh Pariyar, and Central Committee member Janardan Sharma, among others, welcomed Shrestha to the party.
Shrestha hails from Jaubari in Siranchok Rural Municipality–8 of Gorkha. He joined the Nepali Army in 1986 as a Second Lieutenant. During his service in the army, he held various key positions, including battalion commander, brigade commander, and division commander, among others. He also played significant roles in policy formulation, planning, and disaster management while in service.
Shrestha holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with distinction from the College of Military Engineering, Pune, India. He has pursued defense and strategic studies in India, national security and war studies in Pakistan, and earned a master’s degree in sociology from Tribhuvan University.
Speaking at the party entry program, Shrestha said the country’s current political situation, along with the struggle and sacrifices of the younger generation, inspired him to enter politics. “If the political situation were normal, I would have been content living on the pension provided by the government,” he said. “But the current adverse circumstances changed my thinking. I have stepped forward to end political distortions and to become a voice for the voiceless.”
According to party leaders, PLP is preparing to field Shrestha in the upcoming House of Representatives elections from the Gorkha-2 constituency.
Party patron Dr Bhattarai, who was elected from the constituency three consecutive times, has already announced that he will not contest again.
